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Thursday, February 2, 2017

USQ Offers Grant for US Quidditch Cup 10 Qualifying Teams in Northwest and West Regions

It may not be much, but it will make it easier for qualifying teams in the Northwest and West regions to make the trek to Florida. US Quidditch has released the details of the grants available to West and Northwest teams that qualify for US Quidditch Cup 10. Each of the 11 qualifying teams (nine from the West and two from the Northwest) will be eligible for a $450 grant, which effectively covers the team registration fee at the national tournament. As with other USQ programs, eligible teams will need to submit an application to receive the grant. The link to the grant application can be found here.

“One of the key goals in USQ’s strategic plan is to shape and grow the sport of quidditch. One of our objectives within that is to focus on strengthening core services (including nationals), while expanding competitive opportunities for players,” Sarah Woolsey, USQ executive director, said. “By creating this grant program for teams in the West and Northwest region, we hope to ensure that these teams will be on a more equal level with other teams, and be able to focus on preparing for the event competitively. We're excited to see these teams compete at regionals this month!”The announcement is a welcome one for these regions. When US Quidditch Cup 10 was revealed to be held on the east coast again, this time in Kissimmee, Florida, many in the West and Northwest were upset with the lack of geographic diversity in locations of the national championship tournament. Coupled with the high costs of hotels at the West Regional Championship, many voices in the West spoke up, feeling that they paid disproportionately more money to play the game at a competitive level than other regions.